Trevor Noah’s “Born A Crime” Is Now Part Of US School Curriculum

South African comedian Trevor Noah’s New York Times bestseller, Born a Crime: Stories from A South African Childhood, has topped bestseller lists, audiobook libraries and will be made into a movie. But the star has now added a proverbial feather to his cap.

His book has been made a part of the school curriculum in Newark and New Jersey in the United States of America.

Born A Crime. Photo: Mommies With Style

Born a Crime (Spiegel and Grau) was published in 2016 and received great reviews worldwide. In the book, Noah told a story of growing up during the apartheid era in South Africa as the son of a white father and a black mother. At the time, it was a criminal offence for black and white people to have a romantic relationship. This meant that Noah was “born a crime”.

The 34-year-old comedian, speaking to Los Angeles Times, finds it ironic but beautiful that he has gone from a being child who was always in trouble to having his book being taught in schools. He told the newspaper,

“I do think the lessons we learnt in apartheid South Africa are stories that apply to the world. You do see vestiges of that in America today.”

He went on to say,

“It’s an easy story to understand because South Africa’s racism was so blatant and so unavoidable. I think it’s a nice place to learn how to have conversations on a topic that has become very fraught with political landmines everywhere you go.”

Trevor Noah. Photo: Inland 360

The Daily Show host explained that the book is not only about him. It comprises many narratives of South Africa’s history and the lessons he learnt from his mother.

The autobiography will be adapted to a film starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as Noah’s mother. It will be directed by South African Liesl Tommy.